Former UNC football player apparently not working on NCAA’s investigation [Updated 11:20pm]

Earlier this afternoon we tweeted that we heard the NCAA was back in Chapel Hill today continuing their investigation of the UNC-CH football program…and this evening we got mainstream media confirmation. (If you aren’t currently following us on Twitter and FaceBook then we would encourage you to get connected with us.)

With a hat tip to our email box and the Pack Pride message boards comes what could have been some pretty scary stuff —

We’d like to introduce you to a guy named, Marcus Wilson. You can click here to see Wilson’s FaceBook page and click here for Wilson’s LinkedIn profile. Marcus is originally from Jackson, MS and currently is the Assistant Director of Agent, Gambling and Amateurism Activities for the NCAA. A quick look through at his FaceBook page indicates that he is a big UNC-CH fan and is friends with A LOT of hot girls well and former UNC-CH athletes.

…wait a second…a big UNC-CH fan and friends with a lot of former UNC-CH athletes!? Hmmmm.

Upon further review, I guess that makes sense being that it appears the current Assistant Director of Agent, Gambling and Amateurism Activities for the NCAA played football at North Carolina in the early part of this decade, where he graduated with two degrees.

The best that I can tell, the NCAA has a seven-person investigative team focusing on Agents, Gambling and Amateurism – of which it appears Marcus Wilson is one.

There is nothing that explicitly or officially links Wilson to any kind role in UNC’s current investigation; and, I doubt very seriously the NCAA would ever allow an alum who played the very sport being investigated to hold a role in such an investigation. But, I do know that a seven person staff isn’t very large and therefore it would be reasonable to believe that everyone on such a small staff would at the very least have access to information related to major investigations.

I also know that it smells really odd that just the potential of this conflict of interest has not been made public by anyone at the NCAA or the University of North Carolina or has been reported by anyone in the mainstream media. (Shocker! I know)

I also know that, in addition to some interesting emails we have received the last couple of weeks, quite a few members of various UNC internet message boards have insinuated that they had good information about the current investigation and that Tarheel fans shouldn’t worry too much because they had some ‘friends in high places’ associated with the investigation.

Point here is that anything that can be construed as shady or subterfuge is not a good thing for the University of North Carolina. Over the last few weeks they have been caught with their pants down on almost every angle of this story — including the very story itself! Trips taken by athletes that supposedly didn’t happen were later proven to have happened; the NCAA publicly contradicting the University’s position on not speaking to the media; and a high school recruit who was originally quoted that Butch Davis another coach told him that all was going to be well in Chapel Hill long before the investigation has been completed don’t mix well in any kind of public relations recipe.

11:15pm Update
While we were writing this, RavensInsider Aaron Wilson confirmed our suspicions that the NCAA & Wilson are officially buttoned up on this matter as they should be. Wilson tweeted, “He has to recuse himself from UNC investigation under NCAA rules. Plenty of other investigators, though. Not a big deal.”

Good stuff for all parties. Anyone who knows the strange characters and conflicts of routing interests associated with NC State’s past brushes with the NCAA can understand how some of the Wolfpack faithful could have gotten extra paranoid with anything originating from the NCAA.

Now…it sure would be nice to figure out who are these ‘friends in high places’ to which Carolina fans keep referencing?

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36 Responses to Former UNC football player apparently not working on NCAA’s investigation [Updated 11:20pm]

  1. islandbreeze 08/04/2010 at 9:09 PM #

    Does USC-Compton get to investigate itself?

  2. howlie 08/04/2010 at 9:13 PM #

    CAUSE for a billboard on I-40 in front of Swofford’s office.

    S I C K E N I N G
    & absolutely outrageously obscene.

  3. MachWon 08/04/2010 at 9:22 PM #

    That’s really something else. Truth is stranger than fiction!

  4. Wolf1975 08/04/2010 at 10:03 PM #

    I was wondering why it was soooo quiet, there’s nothing to see move along, move along

  5. Skoll 08/04/2010 at 11:09 PM #

    Too many opportunities and “friends in high places” comments to think that unc hasn’t been getting fed information.

  6. JB34 08/04/2010 at 11:25 PM #

    I watched the thread develop at Pack Pride and also watched how you commented on the story. You guys did a great job not jumping overboard and simply creating an interesting topic for discussion without jumping to any conclusions or being unfairly accusatory.

    Good work!

  7. blpack 08/05/2010 at 7:17 AM #

    It continues to stink to high heaven over in CH, but at least one of their own is apparently not involved in this investigation. Something to keep an eye on though. FOB – friends of Baddour?

  8. Oldwolf 08/05/2010 at 8:20 AM #

    while he has recused himself from the unc-ch portion, he is one of the investigators that is investigating other schools, like Georgia, and players supposedly involved in the same Miami parties.

    So he is involved in a sideways sort of way.

    And being one of the 7 investigators and a an assistand director, how could he not have some influence?

  9. jbpackfan 08/05/2010 at 9:15 AM #

    “It’s outrageous, egregious, preposterous”. Jackie Chiles, Attorney at Law

  10. StateFans 08/05/2010 at 9:27 AM #

    ^Interesting point. If he were to uncover relevant information while investigating Georgia or other players, how motivated would he be to pursue ‘on the margin’ info if it negatively impacted the program where he played?

  11. Skoll 08/05/2010 at 9:32 AM #

    That is the important question oldwolf/Statefans. If he is allowed to remain on the investigation in any capacity, he has not recused himself at all. The ability to bury damaging information gleaned from other universities under investigation could help unc. This still stinks unless he is completely removed, and in my opinion, reassigned for the duration of the investigation.

  12. TheAliasTroll 08/05/2010 at 9:36 AM #

    I’d be willing to speculate (emphasis on the speculation) that if honest people were running this investigation that not only would their football program be dismantled, but so would their basketball program. I wonder what benefits those returning players on that 08/09 squad got.

  13. StateFans 08/05/2010 at 9:55 AM #
  14. mafpack 08/05/2010 at 10:56 AM #

    ^^ That’s a topic I continue to bring up with friends/family that are UNC fans. Even they can’t believe how obvious the possible violations are with the Ellingtons, and count themselves lucky that the NCAA has just turned a blind eye to that whole situation. Could you imagine the backlash if they lost their championship b/c of it, yikes!

  15. TAEdisonHokie 08/05/2010 at 11:00 AM #

    StateFans, you’ve done an excellent job sleuthing out details about the UNC investigation. But, my comment is more focused on the reason for the CURRENT visit by the NCAA investigators to Chapel Hill. As you may recall, investigators recently visited Clemson to question two players for reasons, “not linked to the investigations looking into improper contact with agents at the other schools.” Hmmm. So, what could they be looking for? Here are some possibilities. A kid by the name of Brandon Ellerbe flipped from Clemson to UNC after his mom moved to Chapel Hill. How did she get there? Who paid for her move? Hmmm. Recently, the father of a Virginia recruit accepted a job two days before his son gave his verbal to UNC. His father was very influential in regards to his son’s selection of UNC. Hmmm. In another recent case, Bill Renner, former head coach at Springfield High in northern Virginia, and father of the back-up UNC QB Bryn Renner, “found” a head coaching job at East Chapel Hill. “He heard of the job opening at East Chapel Hill from UNC’s Butch Davis, who son Drew is a quarterback for the Wildcats.” Hmmm. And who can forget the Signing Day surprise a couple of years ago when Greg Little abruptly flipped from Notre Dame to UNC? Hmmm. So, who’s been the UNC Recruiting Coordinator since Butch arrived in Chapel Hill? John Blake, who’s good friend is Gary Wichard, etc., etc., etc. Lots of additional stories out there, and it’s my understanding the NCAA is hearing ALL of them from other D1-A football programs.

  16. Daily Update 08/05/2010 at 12:36 PM #

    Clemson commitment DB Brandon Ellerbe (6-0, 203) of Wadesboro, N.C., is committed to Clemson. But his mother might be moving to the Chapel Hill area, and that could change his plans. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said. “If I stay at Anson with my aunt, I’ll be going to Clemson. If I move with my mom to near Chapel Hill, I’m going to North Carolina.”

    Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/05/24/1300283/recruiting-rome-might-follow-dad.html#ixzz0vkdSNlqh

  17. file.thirteen 08/05/2010 at 1:24 PM #

    according to rivals, ellerbe flipped his commitment to unc on 12 june.

    read more: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Brandon-Ellerbe-99873

    also, this is his 10 june article solidifying his commitment to clemson: http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1092877

    this is his 12 june commitment switch article: http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1093679

  18. TAEdisonHokie 08/05/2010 at 1:28 PM #

    Daily Update – you’re quoting from a May 24th article. Check out this link on Brandon Ellerbe from June 12th:

    QUOTE:

    “After stating numerous times this spring that he was still strong with the Tigers, most recently last weekend in Monroe, NC, Ellerbe opted to switch his allegiance to another school in the ACC on Saturday – North Carolina, while at the Tar Heels’ camp.”

    Ellerbe Switches to UNC

    And yes, his Mom moved to Chapel Hill. Where did she get the money to move?

  19. Daily Update 08/05/2010 at 1:32 PM #

    TAEdisonHokie: I have moved myself twice for about $500-750. Moving isn’t necessarily that expensive especially if all you need is a UHaul truck.

    The fact that she moved doesn’t really prove anything.

  20. file.thirteen 08/05/2010 at 1:43 PM #

    daily update, i disagree. her move is absolutely suspect. people don’t generally up and move–regardless of cost–for no reason. people particularly don’t uproot their family without the prospect of financial stability on the other end of that move. does his mom have a job in/around chapel hill? if so, where? how did she obtain this job in these hard hiring times? was she offered this job before her decision to move or afterwards? all these questions merit answering to truly get to the bottom of ellerbe’s situation.

  21. islandbreeze 08/05/2010 at 1:51 PM #

    does Ellerbe’s mom have a spiffy new job on unc-ch’s campus or is employed by a Ram’it Club member?

    Follow the money.

  22. TAEdisonHokie 08/05/2010 at 1:59 PM #

    Daily Update: $500-$750 may not mean much to you or UNC’s Coach Blake, but for lots of other people, that’s hard to scrape up. Hey, if anyone connected to UNC only donated a dollar to the move, it’s still a violation.

  23. Daily Update 08/05/2010 at 2:03 PM #

    You got to have proof. Otherwise, it is just a baseless accusation. Most people can come up with a pickup truck and some teenage boys to help them load and unload stuff.

  24. TAEdisonHokie 08/05/2010 at 2:07 PM #

    Daily Update: I personally don’t need proof of any kind, but I bet the NCAA has whatever they need at this point.

  25. Daily Update 08/05/2010 at 2:10 PM #

    We shall see…

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